Taita Taveta: 3 Arrested At KWS Academy For Showing Up With Fake Calling Letters

• Three people in Taita Taveta await arraignment after being apprehended at the Law Enforcement Academy in Manyani
• The trio sought to be admitted among the recruits with fake calling letters when KWS officers caught up with their fraud
• In Kenya, forging documents is a criminal offence whose perpetrator risks imprisonment of up to three years

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Officers from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) have apprehended a trio of Taita Taveta locals who showed up at their academy with fake calling letters.

How KWS academy officers pounced on frauds with fake calling letters

Weeks after conducting the rangers' recruitment drive across the country, the wildlife conservation agency posted the successful recruits to various training centres.

The three reported at the Law Enforcement Academy in Manyani with the bogus letters, presenting them as genuine, oblivious to the tight mechanism employed to block frauds.

They were detained ahead of their arraignment on Monday, May 27.

In Kenya, forging or uttering false documents is a criminal offence, with culprits risking jail sentences of up to three years.

Kenyans warned of fake KWS calling letters

The arrests in Taita Taveta came days after KWS warned the public about fraudsters peddling fake calling letters.

The rangers stated in a press statement on Wednesday, May 22, that the letters are not certified copies.

The KWS explained that genuine recruitment letters have distinct security features, including a central KWS logo watermark and a unique serial number.

They observed that fake calling letters are riddled with grammatical errors, incorrect formatting, wrong reporting dates and signatures.

KWS stated they were working with the authorities to crack down on the vice and provide a hotline for Kenyans seeking clarification.

Discrimination, tribalism in KWS recruitment

Recruitments at the agency have often been marred with allegations of irregularities, tribalism and discrimination getting spotlighted.

The exercise targeted 1500 officers and 150 cadets.

Documents recently submitted to parliament by KWS Director General Erustus Kanga showed that the Kalenjin community constituted 16.15% of the workforce, equivalent to 745 out of the 4,612 employees.

They are followed closely by the Kikuyu community, which constitutes 15.52% (716), the Kamba community at 9.15% (422), the Luo community at 8.76% (404), and the Luhya community at 7.29 % (336).

The National Assembly Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity expressed concerns that the recruitment process may marginalise other Kenyans.

The committee also questioned the decision to conduct the exercise at the county level rather than the sub-county level.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke